Conventional casino resort management systems keep performance statistics on gaming machines. Casinos for instance, for regulatory and revenue generating reasons, keep statistics on how particular machines perform and how different locations in a casino affect performance of gaming machines For example, gaming machines are typically programmed to have a particular hold percentage (e.g., the percentage of patron money that will be kept by the machine). The hold percentage generally varies, though and may range from 0-20%. Machines having hold percentages that vary significantly from a regulated required rate may get a resort in trouble with a gaming board or other regulatory authority, and therefore tracking is critical for that reason alone. Also, some locations in a casino may generate better performance than other locations. For example, machines located near areas where patrons tend to congregate, such as food or drink bars, may experience heavier traffic than machines located in more obscure places within the resort. Using this information, a casino can better make decisions relating to gaming machine density and placement. Information gathered by resorts may also be used to determine the effect of other factors in a casino on gaming machine performance. For instance, it may be determined that persons standing in line near a narrow restaurant door entrance may tend to use proximately located machines more so than individuals who do not have to wait in line to enter an open area food location.
There are known gaming machine performance tracking methods using placards attached to the machines. A placard may indicate the machine brand, model and the denominations that a machine accepts (i.e., quarters or nickels). Each placard generally also has a unique identifier. Where placards are used with machines on a one-to-one basis, there is generally no problem identifying stationary gaming machines within a resort and tracking and analyzing performance information related to the machines. Tracking of gaming machine performance, however, is problematic where placards are moved from one gaming machine to another or where gaming machines are moved from one location to another. In conventional systems, if a placard is moved from a first gaming machine to another, then all information relating to the first machine can no longer be tracked using the original placard number. Similarly, if a gaming machine is moved from one location in a resort to another location in a resort and replacement of placards is a standard practice, then there is no way to track and to evaluate the performance of particular gaming machines in particular locations.
There is not now known a resort management system that accurately, automatically and efficiently provides for tracking and analysis of gaming machine performance correlated with resort location. In present systems, where gaming machines are identified using placards that may be moved to other machines periodically and where machines that are relocated periodically, such tracking and analysis is arduous at best. A system encompassing features that allow tracking and evaluation of gaming machine performance correlated with location, independent of placard identifiers and notwithstanding that such placards may be removed, is highly desirable. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system that can track gaming machine history, including changes in location, configuration and performance; tracks location history including game type and denomination, that tags construction activity in a casino zone; and which allows for the changing of placards infinitely without losing historical machine or location information.